State grant aimed at preventing students from dropping out

Saturday

Oct 30, 2010 at 12:39 PMOct 30, 2010 at 1:07 PM

Nineteen Central Massachusetts schools could be among the beneficiaries of a five-year, $15 million federal High School Graduation Initiative grant the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced yesterday. The five-year grant will support efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school.

The state will focus on the 133 high schools in Massachusetts that exceeded the statewide annual dropout rate of 2.9 percent in the 2008-9 school year and will award grants on a competitive basis.

In Central Massachusetts, that includes Athol High (6.2 percent dropout rate) and Ellen Bigelow School (30.8 percent) in the Athol-Royalston school district, Fitchburg High (3.4 percent), Fitchburg Alternative ED Program (34.2 percent), Gardner High (5.1 percent), North Central Charter Essential School (4.2 percent) in Fitchburg, Northbridge High (3.4 percent), Quabbin Regional High School (3 percent) in Barre, Quaboag Regional High (3.7 percent) in Warren, Ralph C. Mahar Regional (5.3 percent) in Orange, Southbridge High (5.2 percent), David Prouty High (3.8 percent) in the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District, Ware Junior/Senior High (3.6 percent), Bartlett Junior Senior High (4.4 percent) in Webster, Murdock Middle/High School (3.6 percent) in Winchendon), and Worcester's four comprehensive high schools: South High Community (7.9 percent), Burncoat High (7.1 percent), North High (6.1 percent) and Doherty Memorial High (4.2 percent).

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